The present application relates to an authentication apparatus and authentication method, and is preferably utilized to perform personal authentication using biological information, for example.
A technology of biometrics authentication has been put to practical use. The technology of biometrics authentication is safer than a technology of general personal authentication that uses passwords, because the technology of biometrics authentication uses personal biological information such as fingerprints and vein patterns as authentication information (see Jpn. Pat. Laid-open Publication No. 2003-242492, for example).
The technology of biometrics authentication previously extracts a feature quantity from user's biological information, and then registers the feature quantity as registration authentication information of the user. When process of personal authentication is performed, a feature quantity of a user who is to be authenticated is extracted from his/her biological information and then personal authentication information is generated. And then the personal authentication information is verified by the registration authentication information. When the personal authentication information corresponds to the registration authentication information, the user is authenticated as a legitimate user.
Since biological information is unique to a human body and unchangeable forever, the technology of biometrics authentication that uses the personal authentication information which is based on the biological information can verify and authenticate an individual without fault. With authentication process for credit cards and cash cards, the above-noted technology of biometrics authentication is utilized.
Noncontact IC cards, which include an antenna inside a card and wirelessly exchange data with a card reader are becoming popular. Compared to a contact-type card such as a magnetic card, the noncontact IC card is easy to use, because a user can use the noncontact IC card just by putting the noncontact IC card on the card reader.
If the above-noted technology of biometrics authentication is applied to the noncontact IC card, an authentication device may collate the registration authentication information which is registered on the noncontact IC card with the personal authentication information which was generated by extracting the feature quantity from the biological information of a user who is to be authenticated.
In this case, if the same piece of registration authentication information has been registered with a plurality of noncontact IC cards and these noncontact IC cards are placed on the card reader at the same time, the authentication device has difficulty in determining which noncontact IC card should be authenticated.